Carr's green record disappoints lobbyists

The state's major environment lobby groups have joined together to criticise the State Government's green record, rating only one out of its six environmental initiatives as praiseworthy.

The Government's only substantial achievement was the introduction of laws requiring energy providers to drop their greenhouse gas emissions, the groups said. The Government's performance on six major issues such as land clearing and water reform was declared a failure.

"The Carr Government has made much of its green credentials in new national parks and legislation over the past eight years but the hot issues brought to their attention encompass very significant areas of the natural landscape," the Total Environment Centre, Nature Conservation Council of NSW, National Parks Association and Wilderness Society said.

"The biggest failing is river protection because the Government has gazetted plans which do virtually nothing to save our inland rivers," the director of the Total Environment Centre, Jeff Angel, said.

An "F" was handed out on that issue while the Government's performance on land clearing and protection of land in the central west was given only an "E".

Approvals for land clearing increased in the past year despite the continuing problem of salinity while a decision on whether or not to protect woodlands in the central west - originally promised by the end of last year - was deferred until after the election.

"Undoubtedly the environment will be a big issue in this coming campaign and we will be assessing policies and making judgements independently and expressing our views frankly," Mr Angel said.

The executive officer of the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, Kathy Ridge, said voters concerned about the environment had "no real choice" but to vote for one of the minor parties.

"Neither major party is making an outstanding effort in relation to the big landscape issues such as land and water which leaves the ground open for alternatives like the Greens or the Democrats," Ms Ridge said.

The scorecard was "damaging" to the Government's chances of securing the preferences of the Greens, said MLC Ian Cohen.

The Opposition has not released its environment policy but the environment groups intend to apply the same scorecard system to its plans.

The Environment Minister, Bob Debus, said the report card ignored achievements such as returning environmental flows to the Snowy River and boosting protection for threatened species.